ECM Says Constitution Must be Amended by 18th to Hold Referendum With Council Polls

The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has said the Constitution would need to be amended by the 18th of this month at the latest if a public vote on merging the two national elections is to be held alongside local council polls.

Speaking at a meeting of Parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee today, the commission’s president, Mohammed Zahid, said the commission would proceed with a referendum if lawmakers approve the proposed constitutional change. However, he noted that organising a referendum would require at least 45 days under existing legal requirements.

Zahid told the committee the commission would need an additional budget of MVR 20 million to conduct a referendum, citing the need to recruit more staff and print additional ballot papers.

He also said logistical arrangements for the local council elections were already under way, with ballot boxes having been sent to islands across the country. If the referendum is to be held on the same day, those boxes would need to be redistributed, he added.

If the two elections are held separately from the local council elections, Zahid said the overall cost could range between MVR 40 million and MVR 80 million.

The government first proposed amending the Constitution on 4 January to combine the parliamentary and presidential elections and to shorten the term of the current legislature. Under the proposal, the term of the 20th Parliament would end on 1 December 2028, with administrative arrangements for the next parliament required to be completed before that date.

A constitutional amendment bill submitted by Ibrahim Falah, leader of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) parliamentary group, is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Independent Institutions, which has begun a series of meetings with stakeholders.